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Healthy Homes In the News
- EPA Releases New Guidebook
- Help for Homeowners
- Recovery for our Communities
- Energy Efficient Homes
- Flood Memories, Resurfacing Mold Interrupt Recovery
- A New Virus Emerges
- Govt. Urges People to Make Homes Healthy
- Acting Surgeon General Issues 'Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes'
- Health Begins at Home
- Building Green Houses for the Poor
- Campus Recycling Contract Changed, All Plastic Containers Now Accepted!
- National Studies Show Green Building as Key Part of America’s Economic Future
- Brown is the New Green
- 2008 National Healthy Homes Conference
- More Bedbugs are biting in Cincinnati
- New HUD Guidebook on Restoring Flooded Homes
- University of Maryland Extension Healthy Homes and the National Healthy Homes Festival
- Maryland Governor Signs Three Lead Poisoning Prevention Bills
- Green Pharmacy Program
-
Final Report on Formaldehyde Levels in FEMA-Supplied Travel Trailers, Park Models, and Mobile Homes
- That 'new shower curtain smell' gives off toxic chemicals, study finds
- HUD's 2007 Highest Scoring Funding Applications
- More Action Needed to Protect Public from Indoor Radon Risks
- Do I need a Carbon Monoxide Detector?
- Grace Readies $3 billion for asbestos victims
- Toxins in School Buildings
- Real Estate Companies making it tougher for smokers in their homes
- Hazardous Conditions in Katrina Survivor Mobile Homes
- FEMA trailer hazard participates in new study
- Senators Introduce Bill to create council for Healthy Housing
EPA Releases New Guidebook to Encourage Smarter Community Design and Healthier Living for Seniors
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a new guidebook to help older adults access information about the importance of environmentally friendly community design and how to become involved in decisions about what is termed as “smart growth.” Smart growth covers a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger and more socially diverse.
"Growing Smarter, Living Healthier: A Guide to Smart Growth and Active Aging” addresses the basic principles of “age-friendly” neighborhoods and town designs that are healthier for people and the environment.
The guide offers suggestions and links to resources to learn more about how to remake neighborhoods to get around easier, whether someone lives in a city, suburb or small town. It also presents ideas for getting involved, providing housing options and gathering places, eating healthier and making it easier to carry out daily activities.
The guidebook also contains a self-assessment tool that allows communities to rate themselves based on how their communities are following the principles of smart growth.
To access the guidebook: click here
Help for Homeowners
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is providing assistance to homeowners during tough economic times by starting the Home Owners Preserving Equity (HOPE) program. DHCD has new programs that will help some homeowners refinance into an affordable mortgage or catch up on missed payments while negotiating a better outcome than foreclosure. The Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (DLLR) is also investigating cases of fraud and foreclosure prevention scams.
June 18, 2009
Recovery for Our Communities
Working with our federal partners, we are able to provide assistance for our neighborhoods and communities. The Community Services Block Grant program works through Maryland's Community Action Agencies in Maryland's counties to provide a range of services designed to assist low-income residents in achieving self-sufficiency.
Maryland's Community Action Agencies will receive $13.7 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide services to help low-income residents achieve self-sufficiency through housing assistance, Head Start education for youth, nutrition programs, transportation programs, employment services, emergency shelter and energy assistance and similar programs. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
June 18, 2009
A Message from the Governor
Energy Efficient Homes
As families across our state struggle to find ways to pay their energy bills, today, we will gather at the home of Richard and Sonja Lowery in Silver Spring to formally announce Maryland's first steps in expanding our home weatherization program, designed to benefit thousands of low-income families throughout the state. We'll conduct a home energy efficiency audit, and we'll make the necessary improvements to the home at no expense to the Lowery's, thanks to funding from President Obama's Recovery and Reinvestment Act that allows us to more than double the amount of families we can service through our home weatherization program.
These audits may seem trivial on an individual basis, but the fact is families could save between $300 and $400 per year with simple energy efficiency improvements. If every household in the state of Maryland swapped out one incandescent light bulb for a compact florescent bulb, for example, it would save enough energy to power over 6,300 homes for one full year.
Families must qualify for the program, so I encourage Marylanders to seek more information through their local energy office by calling 1-800-332-6347 or through Maryland's Office of Home Energy Programs.
Through our EmPOWER Maryland initiative, we'll reduce energy consumption 15 percent by 2015 and achieve the more sustainable future we all prefer.
Martin O'Malley
Governor
June 18, 2009
SPECIAL REPORT, DAY 1: Flood Memories, Resurfacing Mold Interrupt Recovery
by For The Reporter - fdlreporter.com
The anniversary of the June 2008 floods evokes memories for many in the community.
Even though the general public does not see the aftermath of the flooding, for many, the cleanup and repairs continue.
June 9, 2009
A New Virus Emerges
by cdc.gov
Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in Mexico and the United States in March and April, 2009. The first novel H1N1 patient in the United States was confirmed by laboratory testing at CDC on April 15, 2009. The second patient was confirmed on April 17, 2009. It was quickly determined that the virus was spreading from person-to-person. On April 22, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to better coordinate the public health response. On April 26, 2009, the United States Government declared a public health emergency.
June 9, 2009
Govt. Urges People to Make Homes Healthy
by The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is urging parents and homebuilders to make their homes more healthy by getting rid of lead paint, mold, and other hazards.
Acting Surgeon General Steven Galson and Housing Deputy Secretary Ron Sims launched a coordinated federal effort Tuesday to prevent diseases and injuries from potential health dangers in the home.
June 9, 2009
Acting Surgeon General Issues 'Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes'
by Acting Surgeon General
Washington, D.C. - Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H. today issued The Surgeon General's Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes at a press conference from the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. The Call to Action looks at the ways housing can affect health; its release will initiate a national dialogue about the importance of healthy homes.
June 9, 2009
Health Begins at Home
Each year, hazards in the home cause millions of illnesses and injuries across the nation. Many can be prevented by keeping your home clean and well-maintained. Recognizing problems and correcting them can protect you
and your family. In “HEALTH BEGINS AT HOME” a new video in the CDC-TV “Health Matters” series, several common problems and simple solutions are discussed.
Within the home, cigarette smoke, fires, carbon monoxide, household chemicals, bacteria and germs on food and preparation surfaces, household pests, lead or radon are risks to your health, but can also be easily addressed. The video demonstrates some cleaning and maintenance approaches that ensure a clean and well-maintained home, helping to create a healthy and safe environment for you and ones you love.
Users can download the video or the podcast at CDC-TV, or they can access it on their mobile phones. Organizations can use the video in a number of ways, especially as an informational tool for policy makers as well as parents.
New “Health Matters” features are released at CDC-TV each month. The videos are produced in collaboration with CDC subject matter experts and are designed to provide insights into important health issues, information about CDC research and programs, and ways viewers can address the issues. Each feature includes links to related resources, so that users can find more information. Other CDC-TV content includes PSAs and innovative content, such as the animated Eagle Book series.
Providing high-quality, scientifically-accurate videos is part of CDC's goal to provide health information to the public where, when, and how they need it to protect and promote their health. CDC’s health marketing efforts contribute to making the United States the healthiest nation it can be. For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/CDCtv.
To watch or download video click here
May 11, 2009
Building Green Houses for the Poor
By Bryan Walsh Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009, Time Magazine
When most people hear the term "green building," they probably imagine something like Bank of America's (BoA) soon-to-be-completed Midtown Manhattan headquarters. The skyscraper will have floor-to-ceiling insulating glass walls, automatic light dimming, water recycling, air filtration and on-site power generation. Those green features have helped make the BoA Tower the first skyscraper to win a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, the highest possible such award. They
also helped ensure that the tower won't be cheap - the project is estimated to cost about $1 billion. (Read "Building Materials: Cementing the Future.")
The high-tech green features of the BoA Tower certainly look impressive from the outside, but the real guts of green design can be seen farther uptown, in the economically depressed South Bronx. There, the Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo) - a veteran New York nonprofit - has just opened the Intervale Green housing development, a 128-unit apartment building for low-income families. [snip]
For the full article click here
March 19,2009
Campus Recycling Contract Changed, All Plastic Containers Now Accepted!
As of February 2009, you can now recycle all types of plastic, numbers 1-7 (see descriptions below). This means you can recycle microwavable lunch trays, yogurt containers, and all other rigid plastic items. However, before you recycle, please rinse off plastic food containers. Beverage bottles do not have to be rinsed but please remove the cap before recycling the bottle and cap. Plastic bags/wrap/film will not be recycled. Please deposit used plastic grocery bags at your local grocery store.
Types of Plastic that Can Be Recycled On Campus:
#1 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate): soda bottles, oven-ready meal trays, water bottles, etc.
#2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene): milk bottles, detergent bottles, etc.
#3 PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): loose-leaf binders and plastic pipes
#4 LDPE (Low-density polyethylene): squeezable bottles
#5 PP (Polypropylene): medicine bottles, aerosol caps, drinking straws, and food containers (such as yogurt, ketchup bottles, and sour cream/butter/hummus tubs)
#6 PS (Polystyrene): compact disc jackets, plastic tableware, and Dining Services ("Goodies to Go") food trays, etc.
#7 Other: reusable water bottles, certain kinds of food containers, and Tupperware
For more information click here
March 19, 2009
National Studies Show Green Building as Key Part of America’s Economic Future
U.S. Green Building Council, January 13, 2009
Even as the dire financial news continues to dominate year-end headlines, a cascade of newly released studies and reports points to green building
as one of the growing bright spots for the U.S. economy.
Click Here for the full article
March 19,2009
Brown is the New Green
by JoAnn Greco, Planning, March 2009
More and more brownfields are being developed, not just cleaned up. And they're going green in a variety of ways.
Click here for the full article
March 19, 2009
2008 National Healthy Homes Conference
The presentations from the 2008 National Healthy Homes Conference: Building a Framework for Healthy Housing are now posted on the HUD website at http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/NHHC/index.cfm
More Bedbugs are biting in Cincinnati
Los Angeles Times
Jan 4, 2009
By P.J. Huffstutter
Reporting from Cincinnati -- In this Ohio city, it seems, it really is tough to stop the bedbugs from biting.
When complaints about the bloodsucking insects first trickled in to Cincinnati's public health department three years ago, officials assumed it was an anomaly -- or perhaps the overactive imagination of a bug-phobic public. After all, Cimex lectularius had all but vanished here by the 1950s because of the frequent use of DDT and other now-banned pesticides.
But that trickle of complaints has grown into a flood: A recent public survey found that 1 in every 6 people here has had a run-in with the biting bugs in the last 12 months.
Dozens of fire stations in Cincinnati have had to dump furniture or have their living quarters exterminated because firefighters unknowingly brought the eggs in on their boots or pant legs. Assisted-living complexes have spent tens of thousands of dollars on pest-control companies because, the thinking goes, visitors may have carried in the bugs on their purses or bags.
City health department officials said they now receive more frantic calls about the insects than about mice, rats and cockroaches combined.
If things continue, "we won't be able to keep up with the requests for inspections," said Camille Jones, assistant Cincinnati health commissioner and member of a city-county bedbug task force. "It's a problem that we expect to only get worse."
Cincinnati is not alone in its itchy woes. Reports of a welt-covered public are coming in from college campuses, high-end hotels and even movie theaters across the country.
University officials at Texas A&M in College Station have flown in bedbug-sniffing dogs to root out the insects. The University of Florida in Gainesville reportedly has spent tens of thousands of dollars to clear dorm rooms and campus apartments of infestations.
In New York, there were 8,830 complaints about bedbugs in fiscal 2008, which ended June 30, up from 1,839 in 2005, according to the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The bugs have shown up in unexpected places: An executive with Fox News told the New York Times that the Manhattan newsroom had to be exterminated for bedbugs and have its furniture replaced after an employee tracked the insects in from home.
Task forces aimed at eradicating the bugs and educating the public have been established in numerous states -- including Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Ohio.
In California, the bugs have become such a problem that the state's Department of Public Health started surveying local public health agencies in 2007 to get a handle on the scope of the infestation. Among the reasons cited for the return of the bugs: the DDT ban and an increase in international travel.
Often mistaken for ticks, adult bedbugs are about a quarter-inch long and reddish-brown. They are active mostly at night, and their bites can leave itchy welts on the skin.
During the daytime, they tend to hide near places where people sleep -- such as the seams of mattresses -- or in wall cracks or beneath furniture. The eggs are white, sticky and about the size of a speck of dust, so people can unknowingly spread them from room to room or even across town.
"Set a bag down on the carpet, or walk through an infested area, and it's almost impossible to tell that you're walking out with shoes or a bag that has bedbug eggs stuck to them," Jones said.
The bugs are not easy to kill. Most over-the-counter insecticides won't work, and clearing up the problem can take several treatments from a professional exterminator.
There's also a social stigma associated with the insect, but unlike some other vermin, bedbugs are attracted to blood -- such as a human's or an animal's -- not to garbage.
Renee Corea has battled the bugs in her New York apartment for months but shies away from talking to friends about the details.
"My home is clean. It's always been clean," said Corea, who helps run the online support and policy advocacy group newyorkvsbedbugs.org. "I have lost a lot of belongings because of this. The whole experience was emotionally draining and exhausting. It still is."
But figuring out the extent of the problem nationwide is difficult, entomologists say.
Part of the problem is that cash-strapped cities don't see the insect as a public-health priority. Unlike cockroaches, fleas and mosquitoes, bedbugs aren't known as disease carriers.
"Anyone can be at risk," said Greg Kesterman, director of environmental health for the Hamilton County public health agency, which includes Cincinnati.
Kesterman noted that the county received two complaints about bedbugs in 2003 and nearly 300 in 2008.
"This is not only an urban concern," Kesterman said. "This is everywhere."
Posted 1/8/2009
New HUD Guidebook on Restoring Flooded Homes
HUD has just announced the availability of a new on-line publication in English and Spanish on how to repair badly flooded homes. The HUD book credits, among other sources, a publication by Dennis Livingston and the Alliance for Healthy Homes entitled "Rebuilding Flood-Damaged Homes - A
manual for the safe, healthy, green, and low-cost restoration of Gulf Coast," and it draws heavily from our publication.
Description of new guidebook from HUD USER:
The methods of determining how badly a flooded home has been damaged and how to repair it are relatively similar, regardless of the location and whatever the cause - high rains, flooded rivers, coastal waves, or hurricanes. To assist in the rehabilitation, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research and the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control recently released a guide for professional builders and contractors restoring flooded single-family homes. Rehabbing Flooded Houses: A Guide for Builders and Contractors emphasizes safe practices and important activities in the rehabbing process that address common health hazards in flooded homes, determine a home's structural soundness, and prevent or minimize damage from future flooding. This bilingual guidebook, presented in both Spanish and English, is available as a free download from HUD USER at
www.huduser.org
The Alliance is including a link to this new publication among links to many other relevant flood and hurricane recovery publications on the Alliance's
web site at www.afhh.org
October 6, 2008
University of Maryland Extension Healthy Homes and the National Healthy Homes Festival
September 12-14, 2008
The National Healthy Homes Festival September 12-14 in Baltimore. The festival precedes the National Healthy Homes Conference Sept 15-17, also in Baltimore. Both events are free. As a festival partner, University of Maryland Extension Healthy Homes will have a booth with information about our programs, materials to hand out, and games with prizes. There will be mobile testing units, a HUD Healthy Home that you can tour, free workshops, “green” fun for kids, healthy food vendors, and live entertainment.
For more information www.leadsafe.org/festival
Maryland Governor Signs Three Lead Poisoning Prevention Bills
In mid-May, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D) signed three bills to protect the state's children from exposure to lead through toys and in homes. One law, governing lead in toys, went into effect on July 1. The other two bills go into affect on Oct. 1.
The first bill targets lead in toys and other children's products. The new law mandates that any product marketed to children under age 6 or that may be used by children under age 6 contain lead in no amount greater than 0.06 percent of total weight. The bill regulates items including accessories and jewelry, clothing, decorative objects, furniture, lunch boxes, eating utensils, and toys. It requires independent, third-party testing and mandates that certification be provided to retailers and/other Maryland Department fo the Environment (MDE) upon request. It subjects manufacturers to civil fines ranging from $1,000 per day for each violation, up to a misdemeanor charge and fine of $10,000 or imprisonment up to one year for a willful violation.
The second piece of legislation, the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act of 2008, will protect owners and tenants by ensuring that information about MDE's lead certification is included in Maryland Home improvement Commission licensure process and provides for a $5,000 penalty for each violation. The act's changes to the definition o "lead-safe housing" will allow MDE to establish a lead-contaminated dust test as part of a more stringent standard for housing. In addition, in a rental property owner cannot verify compliance with the state's reasonable lead standards, a tenant will be able to break a lease or rental agreement and have a the property owner pay for relocation expenses. As a result, the risk of lead poisoning will be reduced for lower-income tenants with young children who may not otherwise have the means to pay for relocation.
The third bill empowers persons, including local governments and nonprofit organizations, to purchase rental properties with lead paint violations and bring them into compliance within a prescribed schedule. This bill would encourage the purchase of these properties by responsible property owners, resulting in an increase in the stock of lead-safe housing throughout Maryland.
Upon signing the legislation, P'Malley commented, "Together these bills will continue Maryland's leadership to eliminate childhood lead exposure by 2010. By adding protection for owners and tenants, encouraging the purchase and renovation of properties in violation, and enforcing standards for children's toys, Maryland is taking important steps to increase the amount of lead-free, affordable housing."
To see full news article click here.
For more information on the bills, see the Maryland Department of the Environment press release.
Visit the Alliance for Healthy Homes' website for more on the harmful impacts of lead exposure.
August 1, 2008
Green Pharmacy Program
The Teleosis Institute's Green Pharmacy Program is helping communities safely dispose of
expired/unwanted medications. A pilot program was launched in June, 2007 in Northern California, and during its first year, more than 2,000 lbs were collected mainly of expired pharmaceuticals. The goals of the program are to collect data on the common types of prescribed and disposed medications, quantify the monetary value of wasted medications, and to estimate environmental impacts of pharmaceuticals. A final report is planned this fall.
Click here for more information on the Teleosis Institute or the Green Pharmacy Program
July 25, 2008
"Lead Paint Danger" Segment on NBC's Today Show
See Video on Today's Consumer Smarts 7/15/2008
or
Lead Paint Hazard on Media News
Three decades ago lead paint was banned for residential use. Today, dust containing lead caused by renovation in a old homes still poison young children. One example is Tamara Ruben, who has 3 children. Although she signed the lead hazards disclosures statement before doing renovations, safe procedures were not followed during renovation of their historic home and the children got sick. Rebecca Morley of the National Center for Healthy Housing says that lead poisoning is still a significant health threat. The Washington Post reports that 38 million homes in the US have lead-based paint in them. The EPA and Center for Healthy Housing has information about cleaning up lead paint. For more information see www.NCHH.org, or www.EPA.gov/lead
July 17, 2008
Final Report on Formaldehyde Levels in FEMA-Supplied Travel Trailers, Park Models, and Mobile Homes
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In December 2007 and January 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measured formaldehyde levels in a stratified random sample of 519 FEMA-supplied occupied travel trailers, park models, and mobile homes (i.e., “trailers”). At the time of the study, sampled trailers were in use as temporary shelter for Louisiana and Mississippi residents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The study aimed to determine formaldehyde levels in occupied trailers, determine trailer characteristics that could affect formaldehyde levels, and provide information to assist FEMA in deciding whether to relocate residents from FEMA-supplied trailers in the Gulf Coast area. This study assessed only current formaldehyde levels in the occupied trailers; it was not a health effects study.
To evaluate levels of formaldehyde, investigators conducted a 1-hour continuous indoor air sample and sample measurements of indoor temperature and relative humidity. To determine factors that could affect formaldehyde levels, investigators administered a short questionnaire to adult residents about occupant demographics and trailer characteristics. To observe the exterior and interior of the trailer, investigators conducted a walk-through survey.
In many of the trailers tested, formaldehyde levels were higher than typical U.S. indoor levels. The geometric mean level of formaldehyde in sampled trailers was 77 ppb (range: 3–590 ppb). Formaldehyde levels varied by trailer type, but all types tested had some levels ≥ 100 ppb, the level at which health effects have been described in sensitive persons.
In this study, travel trailers had significantly higher average formaldehyde levels than did park models and mobile homes. A higher proportion of travel trailers than park models and mobile homes also had formaldehyde levels ≥ 100 ppb and ≥ 300 ppb. In multivariate analysis, factors such as temperature; relative humidity; trailer type and brand; opened windows, doors, and scuttles; and presence of mold (≥ 1 ft2) were significantly associated with formaldehyde levels.
Because formaldehyde levels tend to be higher in newly constructed trailers and during warmer weather, levels measured in this study are likely to underrepresent long-term exposures; many of these trailers are approximately 2 years old, and the study was conducted during the winter. In addition, the study did not evaluate any specific patterns of use with respect to specific types of trailers.
On the basis of the data reported here and in previous scientific reports and publications about adverse health effects associated with exposure to elevated formaldehyde levels,CDC recommended that FEMA relocate Gulf Coast residents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and still living in trailers. Relocation priority should be given to occupants suffering symptoms potentially attributable to formaldehyde exposure and to vulnerable populations, such as children, elderly persons, and persons with chronic respiratory illnesses.
For complete article click here
For more information on the FEMA trailer study
July 15, 2008
That 'new shower curtain smell' gives off toxic chemicals, study finds
An environmental organization finds high concentrations of dangerous chemicals in shower curtains sold at major stores.
By Tami Abdollah, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 13, 2008
Vinyl shower curtains sold at major retailers across the country emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, according to a report released Thursday by a national environmental organization. The curtains contained high concentrations of chemicals that are linked to
liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems, said researchers for the Virginia-based Center for
Health, Environment & Justice.
The organization commissioned the study about two years ago to determine what caused that "new shower curtain smell" familiar to many consumers.
The study found that PVC shower curtains contained high concentrations of phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive effects, and varying concentrations of organotins, which are compounds based on tin and hydrocarbons. One of the curtains tested released measurable quantities of as many as 108 volatile organic compounds into the air, some of which persisted for nearly a month.
Seven of these chemicals have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants, said Stephen Lester, the center's science director and a coauthor of the report. [snip]
"PVC is just bad from cradle to cradle," said Martha Dina Argüello, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. "It's a mess when you create, it's a mess when you get rid of it, and it's off-gassing when you're using it."
The EPA has tested vinyl shower curtains and in 2002 said it had found that many of the same chemicals listed in the center's report. Lester said the test drew attention to the lack of government regulations or health-based guidelines governing indoor air pollutants. "The EPA does not regulate indoor air, period," said Barbara Spark, the indoor air program coordinator for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "We have not been given that authority by the Congress."
The Center for Health, Environment & Justice sent a letter to 19 major retailers Thursday informing them of the new report and encouraging them to
stop selling PVC products.
Full article available at: http://tinyurl.com/655w4x
June 16, 2008
HUD's 2007 Highest Scoring Funding Applications
See full list at www.hud.gov
More Action Needed to Protect Public from Indoor Radon Risks
What We Recommend
We recommended that EPA develop a strategy for achieving the long-term goal of the IRAA that considered using the authorities authorized by Congress or explain its alternative strategy, which it agreed to do. We also recommended that EPA identify limitations to meeting the goal to Congress. EPA responded that it does not believe the IRAA goal is achievable. While EPA agrees that the problem of radon exposure gets worse each year, it did not agree to notify Congress that the goal set by the statute is unachievable. We consider this issue open and unresolved. We also recommended improvements to how EPA measures and reports program results, which it agreed to do.
WHAT IT COSTS: First Alert and Kidde sell battery-powered versions for about $40. Plug-in versions are also available. Those two brands are "essentially equivalent in price and quality," said Rebecca Morley, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing. In any case, detectors shouldn't cost more than $60 each.
WHO NEEDS IT: Anyone who has a covered garage or combustion-fueled appliances such as those that run on gas, oil or wood. At minimum, a detector should be installed near sleeping areas, Morley said".
Grace readies $3 billion for asbestos victims
By ANDREW SCHNEIDER
P-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
Seven years ago last week, W.R. Grace & Co. filed for bankruptcy protection against 112,000 lawsuits filed on behalf of people who had been sickened or killed because of exposure to asbestos in vermiculite mined, manufactured or sold by the company.
On Monday, after weeks of sometimes heated negotiation with a panel of lawyers representing the interest of the dead, dying and sick, Grace announced that it will settle "all present and future asbestos-related personal injury claims."
Grace said it will create an irrevocable trust and set aside at least $2.9 billion to pay the settlements because "we want to get on with business," said William Corcoran, Grace's vice president of public and regulatory affairs
How the money will be doled out has not been announced. Therefore, it is uncertain how much each of the 120,000 cases already filed -- and the unknown, but undoubtedly large surge of new cases that will flood the courts -- will finally receive.
The money will go to those who sued on behalf of the thousands of people sickened in and near Libby, Mont., and the survivors of those who died because of the harm from the vermiculite mine Grace operated there on Zonolite Mountain. The mountain was six miles upwind of the tiny northwest Montana town, and court records estimate that 5,000 pounds of asbestos fibers coated the town each day.
April 14, 2008
Toxin turns up in school buildings, but officials say there's no danger
Window sills and door frames in dozens of city public schools contain a toxin that can lower IQ scores, causes asthma and is linked to cancer, a Daily News investigation has found.
Polychlorinated biphenyls are common in window and door caulking found in 266 New York City schools built or renovated in the 1960s and 1970s, officials concede.
Random tests, conducted in February and last month for The News, found the PCBs in eight of nine schools. Six of the nine contained levels of PCBs deemed unacceptable.
April 14, 2008
Real estate companies making it tougher for smokers in their homes
They banned smoking in the bars and restaurants - and now they're coming into New Yorkers' homes.
City real estate companies are jumping on the anti-tobacco bandwagon with new policies that prohibit tenants from lighting up behind their own doors.
It's the latest anti-smoking trend to hit the city since Mayor Bloomberg banned lighting up in bars and restaurants five years ago Sunday.
March 30, 2008
Hazardous Conditions in Katrina Survivor Mobile Homes
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released today preliminary results from recent testing that found higher than typical indoor exposure levels of formaldehyde in travel trailers and mobile homes used as emergency housing in the Gulf Coast Region.
CDC's preliminary evaluation of a scientifically established random sample of 519 travel trailers and mobile homes tested between Dec. 21, 2007 and Jan. 23, 2008 showed average levels of formaldehyde in all units of about 77 parts per billion (ppb). Long-term exposure to levels in this range can be linked to an increased risk of cancer, and as levels rise above this range, there can also be a risk of respiratory illness. These levels are is higher than expected in indoor air, where levels are commonly in the range of 10-20 ppb. Levels measured ranged from 3 ppb to 590 ppb."
See the entire article at www.FEMA.gov
For more details see FEMA Trailer Study
See also:What is Formaldehyde
FEMA trailer hazard precipitates new study
Full Article at Newhouse News Service
By Bruce Alpert
Washington - Accused of taking months to correct a misleading report about the possible health risks of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers, a government agency announced Tuesday a five-year study of Gulf Coast children to determine the long-term effects of exposure to the fumes.
"I regret that our initial work on formaldehyde in trailers did not meet our own expectations," said Howard Frumkin, director of the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, part of the Centers for Disease Control.
The announcement came as a House subcommittee heard emotional testimony from the Agency for Toxic Substance's former top toxicologist, Christopher De Rosa, who said he was excluded from a flawed 2007 study that recommended simple venting as a way to reduce potentially toxic levels of the fumes.
De Rosa said the respiratory problems reported by trailer residents were a "harbinger of a pending public health catastrophe" and that residents should
have been alerted to potential "reproductive, developmental and carcinogenic effects." He said he was instructed not to write e-mails about his concerns for fear they might be misinterpreted.
April 2, 2008
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Senators Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel Introduce Bill to Create Council on Healthy Housing
March 10, 2008-Washington, DC. Today, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) announced legislation creating the first Council on Healthy Housing, which would bring together Federal, State, and local government representatives, as well as industry and non-profit representatives.
The bill authorizes $750,000 for each of the next five years for the Council to review, monitor, and evaluate existing housing, health, energy, and
environmental programs and to make recommendations for reducing duplication, ensuring collaboration, identifying best practices, and developing a comprehensive healthy housing research agenda. The Council will submit an annual report to Congress outlining agency actions on healthy housing, as well as research, policy/program, and funding recommendations.
"The Healthy Housing Council Act will help us ensure that an affordable, decent, and healthy home is not just the American dream, but the American promise," said Reed. "We need to bring together health and housing experts to improve the coordination of existing but fragmented programs, so that families can access government services in a more efficient and effective manner."
Residents of housing that is poorly designed, constructed, or maintained are at risk for cancer, injuries, childhood lead poisoning, and asthma. Children and the elderly are particularly at risk. Providing healthier housing in the United States will help prevent an estimated 240,000 elevated blood lead levels, 18,000 unintentional injury deaths, and 2,000,000 emergency room visits for asthma.
"In the year 2008, it is inconceivable that 6 million families in the United States live in unsafe housing," said Rebecca Morley, executive director of the
National Center for Healthy Housing. "Addressing poor quality housing and detrimental neighborhood conditions must be a high priority if we are to narrow the health disparities gap and reduce soaring medical costs."
"This bill takes a significant step forward toward creating the national infrastructure to eliminate health hazards in housing," stated Alliance for
Healthy Homes' executive director, Patrick MacRoy. "Only by convening such a leadership team will federal, state and local governments, along with
advocates and industry, be able to succeed in protecting families from housing-based health hazards."
Members of the Council will include the Agency heads of the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of Energy, Labor, Veterans Affairs,
Treasury, Agriculture, and Labor. Six members of the Council will represent state or local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations.
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For more information, contact Lis Maring
Last updated: 08/24/2009
Kid’s Science Challenge
WELCOME TO YEAR 2 OF THE KIDS' SCIENCE CHALLENGE! With the help of three new teams of scientists and engineers, there is a brand new set of challenges for kids in the 3rd to 6th grade to consider. - posted Nov 6, 2009
Maryland Secretary of Agriculture
The SGA Speaker Series presents: Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Buddy Hance Tuesday, Nov. 10th. - posted Nov 6, 2009
Good Luck and Congratulations Maryland State 4-H Animal Science Teams
Congratulations to each of the Maryland 4-H youth that were named to the 2009 Maryland State 4-H Judging, Bowl, Hippology and related Teams! We have a large number of youth, staff, and volunteers who will be participating in national contests that will be held at the 2009 North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY, November 7-20. - posted Nov 6, 2009
